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Hello all I can’t remember if I’ve shared my Green Side of Writing Article but in I haven’t shared it here I figured I would. Hope you all are having a nice Tuesday. I’m still typing away on my new erotic romance novella while reworking my Young Adult novel, quite the combination huh 🙂

A little over a year ago I joined RWA and then my local Gulf Coast Chapter and made some wonderful life long friendships. But there were a few things my new author buddies “forgot” to tell me. You see there are many, many things that authors and industry professionals don’t tell you when you begin writing. One thing I learned that startled me: how happy, yet jealous I could feel. I adore my writing friends and have cheered them on from the time I met them. So why is it that as one, then two of my friends got contracts or heard terrific agent news that I had this nagging in my head that screamed “WHY NOT ME??”
The green side of publishing can be very ugly if you let it get to you. I had never put much thought into what I would do if one of my friends “made” it before me, because I’d assumed I’d be beyond thrilled. It’s not the easiest subject to talk about. Because lets face it, it’s not very nice NOT to be jumping up and down the entire time a friend is telling you they’ve gotten an agent, or made or renewed a huge contract but sometimes it needs to be discussed.
After a good friend of mine hooked herself a terrific deal and topped that glorious news off with a sparkling agent, I screamed for joy. Then about two minutes later I slumped down at my desk and pouted. Yes, she knows I did this because I was honest with her about it. I felt so guilty, too.
This subject was NEVER brought up at any of my local RWA meetings, and after a little while I began asking around to see how other authors felt. Turns out it’s not just me. In fact, nearly everyone I have spoken with has felt this at one time or another. I think it is extremely important to let newer authors know that it’s perfectly fine to have those feelings of “Why not me?” while still being thrilled for others. It’s human nature.
My advice is to give your feelings time to work themselves out. The knee jerk reaction can be brutal can cause you to say things you might regret. So take a few minutes to recognize the feelings and remember that we are part of a community of writers and the “call” is waiting for us all.

3 Responses

Okay Sayde…you had me fooled. I was expecting a post about environmentally friendly agencies and publishers. Bwahaha.

However, we all go through this. It’s human nature to feel a little jealous, but the important part is not letting it ruin your relationships with those lucky people. Since I’ve been on this wild ride, at least three of my online friends have made it. To be honest, I was so excited for them it felt like I was the one who got the deal, or the agent. This feeling lasted for quite a while because if it could happen to them, it could happen to me. The envy I felt wasn’t solid, it was more like a wisp of something I couldn’t grasp because I know my time is coming. Eventually 🙂

Definitely that unavoidable something to be dealt with in the course of the publishing journey. It’s easy to get discouraged sometimes because only we know just how hard we work on our projects. We all need our work recognized. Maybe because I’m over a half-century old (Where’d that come from?!? Who SAID that!?! Make her stop!!!) it’s easier for me to keep things in perspective time wise.

I’ve celebrated with friends who’ve made it, and kicked rump on ones who’ve let the green-eyed monster affect their writing. I had to remind them it’s all a matter of time, and timing. And like anything else, facing the bugger head-on gets it out of your system faster so you can get back to work!

Fuss a little if it helps. But only with a trusted friend. You never want something blurted out it the heat of the moment (and not meant) coming back to bite you in the butt. And believe me, it can.

Me? I like to shoot things. So instead of shooting hastily scrawled images of the agent who turned me down (complete with horns and pointy goatee!), or the editor that absolutely loved the uniqueness of my premise but would still have to pass, I shoot targets with “procrastination”, “lack of attention to detail” and “failure to put BIC” (butt-in-chair) on them. Strange, but I come away feeling like I’ve attacked the right things, and ‘killed’ them!

Use what works best for you, but hey, the range is open. LOL Anyone care to join me?

Like I say in the legal world, there is enough work for us all. I have to believe there is an editor or agent for us all as well. I’m w/ danica. I thought you were gonna tell us how to be ecological, LOL!